


I was once given the advice to treat you well

by slashmania



Series: accumulating names like others make friends [7]
Category: Inception (2010), The Sandman (Comics)
Genre: Ah Matthew the Raven attempting to be Dream's wingman, Dream's trying his best, General Awkwardness, I am all for Eames forcing Cobb to have a damned reality check, I'm not crying about Arthur no longer being there to watch everyone's backs, M/M, and Eames really appreciates this, and oh my god Dream gets a hug everyone!, i guess this is slow burn, it took everything i've got to not write Matthew saying 'bro' just for the HIMYM reference, its a cheap joke but still funny, more grief, yay Cobb had a reality check!, you're crying about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-09 20:41:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19483624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashmania/pseuds/slashmania
Summary: Eames knew it was right to respond in kind, that it was polite, but that wasn't the reason why he responded. He responded because he wanted to, and it was true. After admitting that to himself, saying it back was easy."I like you, Dream. Feel free to tell Matthew that I don't think you're weird."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: Since I've basically spent an entire month in a depressed funk from not accomplishing anything and also not writing fanfiction, I've decided to quit my hiatus since its not helping me anyway and I had to delay my graduation again. 
> 
> My answer to how bummed out this makes me is this: Fanfiction. Lots of fanfiction. I've had plenty of time to think about the WIPs, and some new plot bunnies, and now this one because it's been so long since I've updated this series.
> 
> Enjoy some fanfiction for the Fourth of July! Have lots of fanfiction for the Fourth of July! I was going to wait for the posting of the Inception Positivity I wrote to myself, but I don't need that as an excuse to write fanfiction (its just nice motivation in the form of positivity).

_"You'd think that of the two of us you'd be happy to still have a chance with Eames. Me? I'm not going to exist as anything more than a confusing memory. You're real. You're fantastic, interesting, and best of all, still alive."_

_\- don't give away the end, the one thing that stays mine_

* * *

Taking the job with Cobb, who swore up and down and promised Eames that this was a legal job he'd gotten from a trusted source, had been a bit of a gamble. Ariadne's presence made things a little better, but it still meant that the last time he'd seen either of them was at Arthur's funeral. The first few meetings where they would discuss the project were a little tense.

"Who's running point?" Eames immediately asked once he'd noticed the absence of a third at the first team briefing.

"We don't need a point man for this one, Eames," Cobb said, looking like he'd practiced saying that to his reflection in the mirror, hoping to remain sympathetic while also retaining his leadership role as the extractor of the team. In Eames's opinion it worked pretty well. It had been months since they'd last seen each other, even longer since they'd last worked together since once Cobb was free to go home, Eames and Arthur had become the best duo in dreamshare. Eames didn't think it was fair to question why Cobb was getting back into the business if he risked all of their lives during the Fischer job just to get back, or question whether or not the man's catharsis had banished the shade of Mal, but he finally settled on politely asking why they didn't need a point man.

"Why?"

Eames internally praised himself for being so polite. He'd been worried about interacting with Cobb on another dreamshare job, but he'd been living in the Dreaming for too long. He'd wanted to take a job in reality, then use a PASIV to access the dreams of another. It sounded outlandish to a person who wasn't familiar with dream sharing and the technology that managed it, but after walking the halls of Dream's castle at the heart of the Dreaming, after speaking with the Endless almost every other day, Eames needed to remember what his own reality felt like. By a normal person's standards Eames's everyday life and work qualified as fantastic, but it wasn't as fantastic as Dream's realm. 

Despite how fantastic the Dreaming was, and how nice Eames's rooms were, or how much he enjoyed hanging around with Dream, Eames felt like he was stagnating there. That it was time for him to return to reality and get back to work in dreamshare. Even Dream had agreed when Eames mentioned taking the job, saying, _'_ _It would be best for you to keep busy.'_

"I interviewed several new point men," Cobb said honestly. "Lots of people want to work on my team hoping that they'll make their names with another inception or something. But I'm not doing anything as dangerous as that anymore. Once they learned the parameters of this job, some dropped out. Then the ones that remained just weren't..."

Eames took a deep breath, let it out, and gave Cobb a dead serious look. "Nobody will be as good as Arthur. There was a reason he was the best, Cobb. If new point men don't get the chance to develop their skills, then there won't be anyone as good as Arthur. If you're trying to preserve his memory as the best point man it stands as an insult to anything else Arthur was or could have been. He was more than that." 

Eames noticed the way that Cobb paled, but he continued on. "I don't want to give you an ultimatum on the first week, but I think its necessary. Choose one of the remaining point men or find someone else to forge."

"But what if the new person turns on us?"

Ariadne, who had been silently watching the interaction between Cobb and Eames, finally jumped in after hearing Cobb's latest comment. "Anyone can turn on anybody, Cobb. You had the benefit of having a loyal team member. He followed after you when your world collapsed, he still tried to get you back to your kids, and even dealt with your projection of Mal. That's an extremely high standard to hold any new team member to."

And that shut Cobb up long enough for Eames to look past the man and instead smile for Ariadne. "I couldn't have said it better myself. I know that this is a difficult transition, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable to begin a job without a point man." Then Eames spoke to Cobb as he reached for the jacket he'd hung on the back of a chair. "Go get the point man, Cobb, then give me a call. Saito's job sounds interesting, but I would prefer to have a point watching our backs."

* * *

_"Good evening, Eames,"_ Dream commented when Eames, who fell asleep in the hotel room he'd rented, appeared sitting at what was largely considered his spot at the dining table in the Dreaming. There was a steaming bowl of soup in front of Eames, a half empty bowl in front of Dream, and a server dressed in pajamas waiting for Eames notice him before pouring a beverage for Eames. Eames nodded and the dreamer poured his glass full of water, then the dreamer disappeared, maybe waking up.

"I missed the first course, didn't I?"

Dream shrugged. _"I'm not going to pull you into my realm just so you can be at my side for the start of a meal. It's just not polite when you're busy."_ Then the Endless cleared his throat and asked in a conversational tone, _"Do you suppose that Cobb will select a point man within the next few days?"_

Eames couldn't help but laugh. "To be honest, I'm not sure. He was surprised when I questioned him about the lack of a point man, like he was trying to get my approval for not having one."

Dream was playing with the spoon in his own soup bowl. _"I sympathize with the man, but it isn't smart to just drop a point man from your team..."_

"I'm so glad we agree on this, then," Eames said before trying his first spoonful of soup. It always came out _perfect_. He'd pestered the cooks, and asked and asked how they did it, but Eames continued getting cryptic answers from Dream's staff. Or just answers that cycled back to the main cause of why things were the way they were here- it's the Dreaming. Great soup is found in the Dreaming, and salads- and even as Eames was having that thought he glanced up at Dream and caught the Endless watching him.

The real answer was that it's the Dreaming, but that also the Dreaming's king knew all of Eames's particular quirks, likes, and dislikes, and was capable of magically catering to him. Because even if Dream wasn't taking the shape and form of Arthur anymore, he still had access to all the memories Arthur created, he'd lived his mortal life, and he'd fallen in love with Eames.

Dream politely averted his gaze, as if he'd caught that thought from Eames, even if Eames didn't think that was possible.

It was possible that they would never talk about this.

He had spent months in the Dreaming, it had been months after the funeral where Eames had held onto Dream's hand like he was the only thing that would keep him centered in place when Arthur's urn was placed in the earth and buried, as if he was the only one who could stop Eames from imagining how cold the ground would be, how suffocating because once you've begun to think too much about the person you're burying and ignoring the fact that they don't need air anymore and are still really right there if you wanted to be technical about it - _that they were_ _right next to you holding your goddamned hand_ -

Then Eames felt something hot splash against his chest, he blinked, and then looked down at the mess he'd made of his shirt when he'd dropped his soup spoon in the bowl. Surprised, he reached for his cloth napkin and blotted at the shirt he'd been wearing during his meeting with Cobb earlier in the day.

"I'm sorry," Eames immediately said, still using the cloth napkin to take care of most of the mess. It really wasn't that much soup, it was just mildly embarrassing. Even though there had been a funeral, and Eames had some time to mourn, he was still having trouble separating the two in his mind. Loving one didn't mean he could never find himself attracted to the other. It wasn't fair. It didn't make sense and it wasn't fair, and Eames paused what he was doing so he could glance up at Dream to try and figure out his reaction.

If Dream was good at something, it was long silences. Mostly polite introspective silences. He'd steepled his fingers over his soup bowl and watched him quietly, not judging. He was only waiting to hear what else Eames was going to say after a knee-jerk apology.

"May I excuse myself for a moment?"

Dream briefly slipped from his his self-assured posture, his eyes even flashing to brighter tone before winking back into their usual state. Eames had learned that Dream's previous incarnation's appearance had been darker- Morpheus had dark hair, dark robes, and eyes that could very well have shone like dying stars- but that once Dream took over, he become the opposite. His hair and clothes were white, his eyes were dark, maybe a true dead star, a black dwarf that was now only illuminated by the force of Dream's personality or his power as an Endless. But Eames had trouble with that description- dead eyes could never show the depth of emotion that Dream was capable of.

Dream had recovered from his slip, and then nodded to Eames. _"Of course, Eames. You don't need my permission."_

Eames thanked him and left to find his rooms so he could change his shirt.

* * *

Eames had already changed his shirt, but he'd spent a little more time sitting on the edge of his bed and looking around the room.

It hadn't changed one bit, not that Eames was really hoping that once he'd taken a little time in reality that his set of rooms would become what they started as, something like a really generous set of hotel rooms. Not rooms made up of several pieces of other rooms, in other parts of the world, that made up such a strange collection of things that reminded Eames of Arthur when he was still alive.

Darkly curious, Eames stood up and went to the closet to see if the torn jacket was still there. He hadn't taken a shirt from the closet because he'd half hoped that the torn jacket wouldn't be hanging there still. Eames opened the closet and found his worry confirmed.

Arthur's torn jacket was hanging from a clothes hanger. Eames didn't have to touch it to know that it wasn't some dreamed up copy or replication of the torn jacket he'd found in the safe house the night Arthur had died, then held to his chest as he wandered the halls of the Dreaming for the first time. It didn't matter that he'd tossed out the real one from the safe house in the waking world. It appeared in this room, in this closet, and it was just as real just from the wealth of memories attached to the thing. It still smelled like Arthur's cologne, too. Still.

Eames moved away from the closet and looked around at all the other intruding objects.

"Moving on is never easy," Eames found himself saying to himself. "It is never easy, but god, this situation takes _gone but not forgotten_ to a new level."

And Eames wasn't even broaching the thought that made him drop his spoon in his soup and mess up his shirt. The one that he thought about almost any time he had any feeling related to Dream that he couldn't force into the 'he's interesting' box. Because he's essentially been introduced to a completely different person. He had to get used to interacting with him, and finding common interests that didn't continuously cycle back to Arthur stuff, or Arthur's stuff, and how Eames was fighting letting go of something as useless as a torn jacket that didn't belong to him or would even fit if he wasn't forging someone with Arthur's body type-

Eames got an idea.

He turned to one of the walls and wished a mirror into existence. He'd never tried this. Not even when the pain and grief was so fresh he'd thought he'd never be able to take a full breath without something _hurting._

He closed his eyes for a moment and remembered Arthur. What he looked like, what he sounded like, and the last thing Eames remembered the point man saying about that torn up jacket. Eames mouthed the words, not quite willing to say any of it out-loud yet.

_Well that's probably destined for the trash._

_Ugh, I don't think I can look at this anymore._

_I bet I could pull it off as a Halloween costume. I'd be a-_

"-zombie," Eames finished, looking at his Eames shaped reflection, but feeling the differences in his forgery- lithe Arthur, lean and strong, impeccably dressed, despite the jacket.

He looked at the open closet door where the jacket wasn't hanging anymore since it had helpfully incorporated itself into his Arthur-forgery outfit. Eames looked down Arthur's arms, fixated on his hands, noticing the familiar scars from knife-work, the callus marks on his palms from handling guns, and everything that generally came from being so much more of a badass than being a point man called for.

Eames continued, using Arthur's voice, speaking softly and hoping he wouldn't be overheard. 

"Eames," he said in Arthur's tone, and using his cadence and speech patterns, voice only skipping as he drew a breath over a half-formed sob. "Wouldn't that be a great costume? I'd scare the crap out of those trick or treaters, wouldn't I?"

But Eames pulled the coat off of his shoulders and held it in his hands. He let go of the forgery, reclaiming his body and features and voice, still holding a jacket that smelled like Arthur's cologne, but damn it, this exercise didn't help at all. His forgery of Arthur was a shadow of the man he remembered! It was a joke that Arthur wouldn't laugh at! 

And from how tightly he was squeezing the damned jacket to his chest, it proved that the exercise was useless for what he'd intended it as- a means of letting go of an item he couldn't use as more than a reminder of someone else's absence.

He moved to hang up the jacket again, closed the closet door, and glanced at his reflection in the new full length mirror on the wall. He took a deep breath and focused on his features. If dreamsharing had taught him anything, it was that one benefit of dreams was the ability to do things that defied logic in reality. And even though he'd managed to make himself look like he hadn't been on the verge of tears, he still couldn't help but go into the attached bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

Then there was a knock on the door. 

Eames stared at the door for a second, and then said, "He has excellent timing." 

If his efforts to cover up what had been a significant moment of his grief coming back to slap him across the face, he'd have to just accept it. It had been a long day, he'd unexpectedly had to give a talk to Cobb about respecting Arthur's memory and getting a damned point man hired. It was understandable that Eames was tired.

Eames opened the door to find Dream waiting there, an uncharacteristically nervous look on Dream's face.

_"I've been informed that it is appropriate for me to apologize to you."_

Eames blinked. "For what?" 

_"Matthew told me that I must have done something stupid."_

"The talking raven criticized you."

_"He told me that though I'd done a lot of changing, and maturing, and got plenty of life experience from being Arthur, I'd clearly did something wrong tonight."_

"But how does he know? He's a bird!"

Dream frowned. _"He used to be a man. He'd likely say that it didn't matter because he made me recite everything that happened before you came up here and his opinion is that I was being...weird."_

Eames stared.

_"He assured me that he has my back,"_ Dream said, gesturing around himself as if to illustrate the raven was nowhere in sight. _"But that a good friend would also be open and upfront when another friend makes a mistake."_

Eames cleared his throat and asked, "But what mistake does he think you made?" 

_"I was looking at you when you were eating. He said that might have been creepy. That I startled you in some way, and that led to the spoon getting dropped in the soup, and ended with you up here and me down there talking to my raven."_

"I was surprised to see you were looking because I'd been thinking of something that had only just occurred to me about you. You're fine, Dream, I promise."

_"...so I wasn't creepy."_

"No, you're intense. That's different." Then Eames took a breath and tried to put what he'd been thinking into words that wouldn't boil down to 'I miss Arthur so much it hurts'. "It's just that you know me so well. It's obvious why you know me so well, because of our time together when you were Arthur. We still met, we had a fantastic job together, and yes, we fell in love. But the hardest part is resolving the fact that I have so much history with a person I've only known for a handful of months. It's a stupid distinction to make, and I'm trying to work on it, but I-"

_"Matthew suggested that the best thing to do would be to give you space. But I also didn't want you to think that I was avoiding you. So I thought that I would at least explain first, then let you get back to whatever you wish. I understand what you mean...I believe that I'm supposed to say something that will be redundant, silly, but mostly might make me feel emotionally vulnerable."_

Eames had a good idea what was coming next, feeling a little emotionally vulnerable himself.

 _"I_ _like you,"_ Dream finally said. _"I like you a lot. Earlier, I wanted to make sure that the soup was to your liking- I remember my time as Arthur with you, I liked remembering your favorite things, and I kind of enjoyed the thought of showing you that I still know all of it. Because I care. I was once given the advice to treat you well. To treat you_ better _than well, and I intend to continue that."_

"It was perfect. It kind of hit me a little harder than I thought, but that's obviously the reason why all of this stuff is spot on. It's your realm, they're your servants, and you remember all this stuff because of everything else that's happened."

Eames knew it was right to respond in kind, that it was polite, but that wasn't the reason why he responded. He responded because he wanted to, and it was true. After admitting that to himself, saying it back was easy.

"I like you, Dream. Feel free to tell Matthew that I don't think you're weird."

The worry and nervousness that had been written on Dream's face lightened considerably at those words.

"I think you're intense, and smart, and fascinating," Eames continued on, "I'd probably offer you compliments all night at the rate we're going, but I must confess that I'm going to have to rest. I might have to knock some sense into Cobb's head tomorrow."

 _"His head is awfully hard, though,"_ Dream commented, smiling a little. _"I believe he will have taken your advice and will find the new point man within the next week."_

Eames shook his head. "I was very serious with him, you would have been very proud. I'm fairly certain that since I gave him that ultimatum, he's going to make sure that we have a point man sooner than a week. I bet that he'll have the new point man ready at our warehouse within the next two days."

There was an uncertain moment as they stood in the doorway, both having taken greater steps and having said much more than they had dared to in the past few months. Neither would risk ruining the moment, so they did as they usually did when Eames made ready to sleep in the Dreaming. They each said goodnight, and Eames closed the door, and Dream left.

It was progress.

It was slow, but it was still progress.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Just say my name. If you call for me, I'll come to your side."_
> 
> Dream didn't expect a hug for this.
> 
> He still got a hug.
> 
> A distant part of Dream's mind was devoted to the chorus of _Eames is hugging me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, I intended to post this much sooner but I'm currently experiencing one hell of a stiff neck- and I swear this isn't a PSA about proper posture and not slouching in front of your computer- but I've only just started to sleep through the night without wrenching my neck by accident, and then forcing myself out of bed to get ice packs or my microwavable heat wrap.
> 
> And then I'd eat chocolate, but that's getting off topic.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this one! And yes, errors and inconsistencies will be fixed when I can sit in front of my laptop tomorrow. Promise!

Cobb actually didn't need any prompting from Eames- Cobb called Eames the morning after he'd been given the ultimatum.

Eames had picked up his phone, wondering over the clear connection in the Dreaming, and listened as Cobb got apologies out of the way.

"I'm sorry. I was being a bit of coward yesterday," Cobb said. "I shouldn't have tried to get away with not hiring a point man. You and Ariadne were right. I kept giving shitty reasons for not hiring one of the people who wanted the job, but just weren't at the same level as Arthur. They'll need the opportunity and practice to become the best. And since we've done background checks on each prospective new hire, it's not as likely that the new person would sell us out. I guess I'm still getting used to the idea of going back to dreamshare without having Arthur there to watch my back-"

Before Cobb could stumble all over himself to try and apologize for even hinting that Eames wouldn't get that feeling, Eames said, "We're all going to have to get used to it, Cobb. How about you tell me who you've chosen to run point for us?"

And Cobb did.

* * *

"He's on the phone with that Cobb guy, boss," Matthew said before perching on the top of Dream's throne. Dream was pensively staring across his throne room.

_"I'm aware of that, Matthew."_

The talking raven hopped from the top of Dream's throne and landed on the armrest, inquisitively looking up at Dream.

"I didn't see you afterwards...did things go well?"

Dream smiled. _"He thinks I'm fascinating, Matthew."_

"And?"

_"He also thinks I'm intense."_

"I could have told you that. You do that sometimes. You just get all quiet and broody and then say something mysterious or confusing."

 _"He likes that, though_ _,"_ Dream said, still smiling. _"He likes that I'm intense, smart, and fascinating."  
_

"You're a catch," Matthew agreed.

_"Eames said I was free to tell you that he doesn't think I'm weird."_

Matthew grew a bit restless, adjusting his footing, flapping his wings once before settling down again.

"You just looked so lonely at the table by yourself, boss! I thought it would be a good idea to have a little chat about what might have happened."

 _"I'm not offended,"_ Dream told the raven. _"You wanted to help me. In the end, I really do have to thank you."_

"So it's all good now? Both of you are happy, considering future options, and so on?"

Dream nodded. _"We like each other. We're both happy that we like each other."_

If it wasn't considered possible for a raven to look flabbergasted, Matthew would have put in the extra effort for it to work.

"And that's it. You go up there, say that you're sorry for maybe being weird- because that was the only reason either of us could think of, boss, it was the only reason that fit, and after both of you agreed that you like each other, you just walk off?"

Dream raised an eyebrow and frowned. _"Obviously. We're starting a relationship. That takes time and effort and will not be successful at all if either of us tries to move too quickly. I don't think either of us is at that stage yet."  
_

The raven hopped from the armrest to Dream's wrist, continuing to speak with Dream as the Endless rose from his throne to take a walk. Dream walked out of the throne room, the raven still eagerly chatting with him.

"I just want you to know, boss, that if you need to talk, I'm here to listen."

_"It was very helpful, Matthew, thank you."_

"And if you ever need any tips, just come to me. I could be like your wingman!"

 _"Wingman?"_ Dream tried saying it, the phrase sounding clunky and odd coming from the so-serious Endless.

Eames, who had already finished his phone call with Cobb, had made his way down to one of the spots Dream would likely be at this time of day. He obviously had been close enough to catch the last exchange between Dream and Matthew.

"That would be one of many phrases I hadn't thought you'd ever say," Eames said to Dream, softening the comment by offering a smile along with it.

Matthew became still, balancing on Dream's wrist and quickly glancing at Eames .

"Good morning, Eames! Just pretend I'm not here," Matthew said to Eames, and despite the forger being so close, Matthew attempted to give some quiet words of encouragement to Dream. "You've got this, boss!"

Eames cleared his throat to politely cover the sound of his laughter.

_"Matthew, why don't you go and visit Lucien?"_

The raven could take a hint. Matthew said goodbye to Eames and then flew off towards the library, leaving Dream and Eames alone.

 _"Matthew means well,"_ Dream said, shrugging a little.

"I'm sure he does," Eames agreed. He stepped closer and began telling Dream the news. "Cobb's chosen a point man. He's got plenty of good things to say about her, and I feel comfortable getting back on the job now that we've got someone ready to run point for us."

_"That's excellent, Eames."_

"I wanted to tell you before I left to get ready for the briefing."

As Dream tried to think of what to say or do in this situation, he remembered what Eames had said the night before. _But the hardest part is resolving the fact that I have so much history with a person I've only known for a handful of months._ Dream consistently had that problem after Eames had dragged a wounded Arthur down an alley. When Dream was still masquerading as Arthur, when Dream was still Arthur in a relationship with Eames, he'd gotten used to the things he could do in a given situation.

If Dream was still Arthur, he could have easily pulled Eames's closer and tell Eames how great it was to see him, that he'd couldn't wait for when Eames's job was finished and he could come back here. The greatest difference in this situation was the fact that before, Arthur would never be seeing Eames off- he'd be leaving at Eames's side. They'd casually chat about the jobs they were heading towards, the people they'd selected to join their team if they needed a chemist or an architect, and what they'd like to do once work was over. They weren't sickeningly domestic, but their lives together had been comfortable.

Dream was missing how easy all of this relationship stuff was when he was Arthur.

But Dream also had to remind himself that there had been a time when Arthur was just beginning his relationship with Eames as well. Arthur wasn't perfect. Eames wasn't perfect. But they finally got together when the time was right. Yes, that was the thing to remember. If Dream was patient, and continued on this course, someday he'd have as good a relationship with Eames as the one he'd had when he was still just Arthur.

 _"I want to tell you something before you go,"_ Dream said, stepping closer and remembering one of the things he did miss about being Arthur- Arthur and Eames were of the same height. It made all sorts of things easier, really. No awkward hugs or kisses, for one thing. 

"Are we going to practice awkward goodbyes?"

 _"I hope not,"_ Dream said. _"I just want you to know that you can call for me if you need help."_

Eames raised his eyebrows. "I'm guessing that this doesn't involve using a telephone or sending a text message."

_"Just say my name. If you call for me, I'll come to your side."_

Dream didn't expect a hug for this.

He still got a hug.

A distant part of Dream's mind was devoted to the chorus of _Eames is hugging me_. Dream returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around the forger and leaning against the other man. Dream would never consider himself touch-starved, but one touch made him recall every other one he'd received from Eames, and if he didn't focus he wouldn't be able to hear what Eames was telling him.

"...god, you wouldn't believe it, but Cobb brought something up during the call. He apologized for not hiring a point man. Then he admitted that it was going to take him some time to get used to not having Arthur around to watch his back. I had to get him off the topic before he tried to make the call about whether or not I was ready to go on my first job after the funeral."

Dream hadn't let go yet because Eames hadn't let go yet.

 _"I know that change is hard,"_ Dream said. _"Sometimes I remember how much fun it was to be Arthur. How exciting dreamshare was. How wonderful it was to work with you. It will take some getting used to for all of us, I think."_

Dream tried to phrase it as best he could. It was harder to say than he thought, so the most basic aspects of this would have to do. It was much easier than saying _I can't follow you out in the field, but I'll come to you when you call for me because I love you._ No, that was a little much for now. It was still too soon for declarations.

_"I could try and say that as one of my own, as a person who is so deeply a part of my realm, my function would extend to me protecting you from harm. But it would be honest and true if I admitted that there's some comfort to be gained like this. I can't watch your back, hold together a dream level, or help you out in a gunfight, but I can appear where you are and take you away. I can foil another person's attempt on your life or the lives of your team."_

"Thank you," Eames said, pulling away a little. "I can't begin to tell you how reassuring that is when I'm just getting started again."

Dream smiled. _"That's what I was going for."_

They separated, Dream taking a full step back and smoothing his hands down his clothing. Eames pulled a handkerchief out of thin air, used it to dry his eyes without a hint of embarrassment. He then put it in his pocket, ready for later if he needed it.

"That wasn't quite the goodbye I was going for, but it was nice either way," Eames was saying. "I'll come back here once the job is over. And yes, if there is a problem I will call you."

Dream nodded, satisfied that they would both survive this experience. It was good to stay active, even more important for Eames to get back into dreamshare and exercise his skills.

"So what will you do while I'm gone?" Eames was asking curiously.

Dream thought about it. It seemed like forever since he'd made a new nightmare. Maybe he could contact his siblings or talk maintenance with Merv. Matthew would definitely corner him and try to chat about what just happened...

 _"I'll keep busy,"_ Dream finally answered. _"Have fun down there, Eames,"_ Dream said. It was much more dignified than saying he'd miss Eames, even though that was true. This was simply another part of being in a relationship. You couldn't be together all the time, for all time.

His slight sadness at seeing Eames go was tempered by his reassuring certainty that Eames would be back once the job was over.


End file.
